Under sunny blue skies with a pleasant breeze sweeping across the little league field, Ryan and Sienna shared a mutual excitement – it was his first year as a coach and her’s as a team mom. Their ten-year-old, Tyler, rushed into the dugout, hastily throwing his equipment bag onto the bench before running onto the diamond and taking the pitcher’s mound, winding up, miming a knuckleball delivery, then a fastball.
“Hey Tyler, that’s some great form, there, buddy! Now, come back over here and help Mom carry the snacks.”
“All right, Dad!”
It was a half hour before the team’s first practice – plenty of time to drop the bases into place, brush off home plate, and go over the roster and practice drill schedule one more time.
“So, who are we going to put into which positions Coach?”
Sienna’s simple question took Ryan by surprise. He never heard anyone call him “coach” before. It made the reality of his new responsibilities sink in. In mere minutes, ten eager kids would be looking to him for instruction, guidance, and encouragement. They’d expect he’d have all the answers.
The surrealism of it all struck, it was impossible to ignore. Just because he was an adult who wore a uniform didn’t mean that he was equipped or prepared to truly fulfill such a position. It caused him to think back to the time when he was his son’s age and how he looked up to his coaches. Now, Ryan realized they were just average dads doing their best to raise their kids and be good role models.
“Uh, hmmm, I’m not really sure. I guess that question will answer itself after we get through practice. I know some of these boys have been playing since tee ball. So, their strengths will hopefully be apparent.”
“Well, I’m confident you’ll figure it out,” Sienna said in an upbeat, encouraging tone, as she sorted out the snacks. Then, quickly moved on to unpacking Tyler’s equipment bag. “Hey kiddo, how about a drink of water before you start practice?”
“Yeah, thanks, Mom!”
It was also a first for the ten-year-old. He’d never had much of an interest in sports before. But, after getting a new gaming console with a baseball game and going to a minor league spring training event, he wanted to give the sport a try. And, since he was nervous about joining a team full of kids he didn’t know, his parents came up with the idea to sign up as volunteers.
One-by-one the families arrived at the facility, each greeting the new couple individually. The parents made small talk among themselves for a few minutes while the kids played on the field. Ryan got practice underway right on time, first running some basic drills, then finishing up with running the bases, and batting practice.
When they wrapped up, one of the kids stood out, not because he was the most skilled, but because he gave his best throughout the entire practice. As Ryan was talking to the boy, with his parents listening in on the encouraging exchange, another mother approached.
“Excuse me, excuse me, Coach. When is the next practice?”
“Two days, same place, same time.”
“All right, but that might be a problem for us.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. What’s the problem?”
“Well, this isn’t his glove – it’s his neighbor’s. And, the neighbors’ schedule could conflict – their boy is on a team too in a different league.”
“I see.”
“Yeah, unfortunately, money is very tight at our house and that’s why he borrowed the neighbor boy’s glove.”
“Well, maybe we can work something out. Don’t worry about it, just show up for our next practice.”
On their way home, Ryan told Sienna about his conversation and mentioned buying a glove for the boy. She agreed and later the same afternoon, they took Tyler to the local sports equipment store. The family found a glove, and Tyler tried it on, just to make sure it fit.
At the next practice, Ryan gave the glove to the boy, who hastily grabbed it, and then ran into the outfield to join his teammates already practicing grounder and pop fly drills.
After practice, Sienna handed out snacks and drinks to the players in the dugout while Ryan went over their schedule for the next practice and named each player’s position. Once he finished up, the players huddled together, and shouted out a group cheer, “Go team!”
When the family got home, Sienna unpacked everything, mentioning she’d put the leftover snacks in their brown bag lunches for the next day. But, after she made three sandwiches, she noticed a couple of the leftover snacks were missing.
“Tyler! Did you grab another snack after practice?”
“No, Mom; I just had one.”
“Oh, maybe Dad ate them.”
But, when she asked her husband, he said he didn’t take any of the leftover snacks.
“Hmm. I must have miscounted.”
At the third practice, Ryan began by giving the players his assessment of their first upcoming game that weekend. “Now, if we all work together, and everybody does their part, we should come away with a win!”
The players were excited and practice went very smoothly. Just as Ryan, Sienna, and Tyler were getting in their car, the mother approached again.
“She probably wants to thank us for buying the glove for her son,” Ryan said to Sienna.
“Maybe, maybe. But I definitely don’t get that feeling.”
“Hey, my boy likes the glove you bought him – although it wasn’t his first choice. He also needs new cleats and a helmet. Here, I printed them out, so you could buy them before the game. Or, I can just give you my Venmo and you could transfer the money to me.”
